From 'Misaki' to ' Misa-Chan'
by animezealot196
Summary: 'One good thing leads to another' Wonder how this amazing saying will prove itself to Misaki Ayuzawa? One day she hikes out for something, and finds something else. Was it worth it? i do not own maid sama. (A/N : i accidentally deleted the original piece of work which everyone had followed and reviewed, i am so sorry! Please forgive me and see this for the rest of the story. T-T)
1. A new beginning

_It just_ _had_ _to happen today, didn't it?_

Misaki Ayuzawa groaned, aggravated. The café she usually visited was barred for renovation. School life was tiring, and she always went to that café for a cup of hot chocolate.

 _Mmmm…hot chocolate…._

Misaki unconsciously smiled at the memories of the brown liquid, its sweet flavor, the soft froth…

BAAM!

"Ouch…." She muttered while rubbing her head. Then glaring at the lamp post she had banged into, it was not the one at fault here, but Misaki was not in the mood of being reasonable.

Hot chocolate does that to you.

Feeling the place that had collided with the lamp post inflame, she rubbed and pressed it until the pain subsided to a degree that was bearable. She didn't think much about it though, or noticed some of the passerby's' jeer and laugh at her.

She strolled on, feeling her grumpiness increase after every step, so much that she was reduced to stop and rebuke a middle-school child for throwing his wasted chocolate wrapper on the street.

"The bin is not even two-steps away! Have your legs stopped working?!"

The unfortunate child was so terrified that he ran two miles away from the her (after throwing his trash in the can of course…) leaving a wide trail of dust behind him, proving that his legs were functioning quite magnificently.

 _Males…!_

This contemptuous thought was followed by more, fueled by her long-standing aversion for men, which had started around the time _that_ man-she couldn't even bear calling him Dad-left and disappeared suddenly along with leaving them to deal with an insane debt. Misaki grit her teeth, memories of that man always made her desire to break something. It was because of _him_ , that today his eldest daughter roamed in streets trying to find a decent job without lowering down to prostitution.

 _All_ men were like that.

 _That's why;_ she thought scathingly, _I am here to make them learn some manners..._

Feeling slightly better at that muse and her future aims, she turned to walk from the scene and in search of another place she could get a cup of Hot chocolate. The sun was about to set; the horizon was tinged with a pale orange hue and the temperature was dropping rapidly. Wrapping her scarf around her more securely, her breath making white clouds in the air, she took one look around her at the people enjoying the evening at the park, while it was still warm, but even now most of them were leaving.

Her eyes strayed towards the bench of the littering boy, and stopped.

He left his bag!

She scurried towards the bench and picked up the shoulder-bag, orange and brown in color and it had a name tag hung on it.

 **Nice Sato**

 _Nice…..what a weird name_

She fingered the strap of the bag, feeling the dreaded sensation of guilt slowly overtake her. He most probably needs it. He would probably remember losing it after nightfall and would not be able to do his homework. All because of her! At this time the regret overwhelmed her and shouldering the bag, she rushed after the boy's-Nice Sato's trail.

…

 _He's going out of town?_

No _, perhaps he lives out of town._

Misaki grimaced at the thought; this was a total waste of time. She was supposed to be finding a place for a job. But the President would rather wander the streets all night before a school day rather than be the cause of someone else's distress. Her prejudice against men at one side, and atoning for her mistakes another. Even if her mind reminded her many times that it was the boy's own fault for leaving his bag behind.

 _Boys are senseless anyway….._ She countered.

Boarding the train after the boy, she recognized him, messy brown hair and blue?-blue eyes. He wore a sleeveless off-white jacket over a plain blue T-shirt with jeans. Weirdly, he also had a piece of white tape stuck on the bridge of his pointed nose. Misaki thought he was generally good-looking, as did most of the girls surrounding them in the bus. But the place was too packed for Misaki to be able to breathe, much less move or call out to him. He still didn't seem to have noticed the absence of his bag.

 _Stupid boy…!_

After a ride which felt like a day, Misaki finally managed to tumble out of the bus door to find her quarry sprinting up the subway stairs. Following him, Misaki noticed that he also looked like to be in a hurry and was surprisingly fast. Enough so that the she found it nearly impossible to run and shout out to him both at once.

She was starting to feel slightly panicked now; being in a town far from home, in an unknown place; exhausted and maudlin, just to return a bag. It was starting to get colder by every second and Misaki's thin jacket would never be able to hold it out for very long.

She saw the boy round a corner and Misaki struggled with her legs to move faster, finally reaching the corner and stopping. Bending and placing her hands on her knees she caught her breath. He had gone inside one of the small glittery shops in the alley. Resting herself, she hurried towards the shop but again abruptly braked after seeing its unusual façade.

 _Maid…Latte….?_

Misaki stared at it with an open mouth before the door opened with a ' _chinnng'_ and a customer walked out, with a dreamy expression where his eyes were comically replaced with two pulsing hearts. This knocked Misaki back into her senses. Feeling more wary of entering the place than ever, she instinctively put a foot back, but turned after glimpsing the boy inside.

Gulping and reminiscing how much time she was wasting, she stepped inside.

It felt like she had entered a Japanese fairy tale of sorts. A vague scent tickled her nose which reminded her of an old traditional perfume. It smelled eerily attracting and pleasant and Misaki unknowingly felt her senses soothe as a welcome chorus chimed in her ears,

"Welcome back, Milady."

Misaki looked to see two beautiful women standing in front of her dressed in elegant kimonos.

"Let me assist you to your table, Milady." The shorter of the two, with curly red hair wearing a contrasting sea-green kimono chirped and motioned towards a table further in the shop.

Misaki was speechless for a few moments with amazement, and murmured a small 'wow' before mindlessly following the lady. Why were they wearing such flashy costumes? Why were there so many men here? And all of them were adorning the same goofy smiles and blushes, staring at the waitresses in a cheeky manner which suddenly made Misaki want to throttle them.

The newly born anger made her collect her bearings, and she whipped her head here and there in search for the boy Nice (It really was a weird name) and spotted him at once. He was sitting not far from her; along with, was that a girl? She was wearing a blue and white cap which almost hid all of her face and her black hair was cut short enough to be misleading. Misaki got up and walked towards them, and drawing nearer found that the girl's name was Hajime, and she was indeed a girl.

Hajime and Nice looked up when Misaki approached them, Nice let out a terrified gasp while his companion, pausing in her meal of omelet rice, stared at Misaki with emotion-less red eyes.

"It's you! I promise I didn't litter anything else!" Nice provided almost hysterically, enough for the waitresses to notice and come to them.

Misaki vainly tried to reason with him among a chorus of 'What happened, Master?" and 'May I help you, Mistress?" by the waitresses.

The commotion was getting out of hand, other customers were becoming disturbed too, however it was sorted by the advent of the blue-haired manager, who looked the oldest of them all and had a motherly touch to her demeanor, Satsuki. Misaki was already highly mortified to be the cause of a fuss, in an unfamiliar place, among such regally dressed people, while she was in a mangy sweat jacket and an old pair of discolored jeans. But she explained herself fully, especially after she became accustomed to the inviting and easy manner of the manager. Misaki had always pictured managers to be strict and condescending, but this one seemed as if she was barely resisting jumping and twirling in joy. The others, though not with the same happy-go-lucky air, were calm and pacifying, making Misaki realize that the magical fairy tale-like atmosphere came not because of the decorations, but from them.

She unintentionally smiled at this, for it was a thing that made her happy, though it was unrelated from her. The feeling she absorbed from this was so much like the one her best friends Sakura and Shizuko gave her and it usually happened by just sitting with them and hearing them talk.

…...

"Uh….Thank you! Sorry for over-reacting- I mean you're scary, n-not in a bad way… but thank you very much." The boy, Nice Sato blabbered while rubbing the back of his head and laughing embarrassedly.

"Thank you." his friend, Hajime said in a monotone voice while bowing down to her.

Misaki nodded to both of them while buttoning her coat.

Standing in the now dark alleyway Misaki gestured with her head towards the café at their right, still bustling with customers.

"How come two middle-school kids are in a place like this?" she asked them.

Nice laughed and answered her,

"Well we wouldn't be, but Hajime-chan likes the omelet rice they serve here, won't take anything else."

He talked about Hajime as if she was a spoilt child, if she was; it was by him, obviously. Nevertheless, they both were the same age and quite good friends, it seemed. Hajime didn't speak a word, or do much of anything else. She seemed quite a boring character only intent on eating from her friend's pocket. But…..Nice did not seem to mind. Evidently, he wanted to impress her and did it happily.

Misaki thought that if Sakura was here, she would have deemed it love, and for a second (tiny one) it crossed her own mind too.

Shaking away that momentary blush, she bid them both goodnight and as they turned opposite ways Misaki heard Nice talking to Hajime.

"Oh! I forgot, you love this place's hot chocolate too don't you, Hajime-chan? I am sorry for being late, I ruined our first date."

There was some silence before the girl replied in an embarrassed tone.

"No. You didn't ruin it Nice-kun. It was," she paused, probably finding it hard to get the words out, "It was perfect."

Misaki felt her own face heat up a little and something like which Sakura would refer to 'Moe flowers' sprout about her, but not vividly and she controlled them soon enough.

 _They were cute._

After reluctantly admitting this, she entered Maid Latte again, having heard that the place held the brown, creamy liquid which for Misaki was the key to heaven. The day had been the worst one for her yet, she had some saved money and for once, _just_ _once_ , she convinced herself, Misaki wanted to give into her desire and relax.

So trampling over her long-standing morals and fundamentals, she entered the magical place again and was again welcomed by the astonished waitresses. She ordered her hot chocolate, which was thankfully quite economical so instead of feeling massively disappointed in herself afterwards, she suffered through a _little_ less regret.

"My apologies for the wait, Milady" the red-head (she looked like a college student) said while settling her cup on the table.

It was steaming, deliciously frothy and creamy, exactly as Misaki had wanted it. They had added two bars of chocolate bars as a bonus, set on a beautiful, yet frilly cloth, which Misaki felt was too much. Living the life she had, where she worked hard every day to put at least one bowl of rice on the dinner table. Too occupied in her inner turmoil, she took a very large gulp and choked.

"Is everything alright, Milady?" Another waitress hurried towards her and handed her a napkin.

Misaki was shocked as how quickly she came here and how definitely concerned she looked. No amount of money could cause that sincerity…..

 _And_ _they keep_ _calling_ _me_ 'Milady' ….

 ** _Maid_** …. _Latte…._

 _No Way….._

A man got up to leave; all _maids_ bowed to him and sang in unison,

"Have a safe trip, Master."

Misaki could not take it anymore.

She abruptly stood up, so violently that she tripped the mug and hot chocolate spilled all over the cover, her face hidden in shadow, she stood bowed against the table catching the whole room's attention.

"How?" she breathed, "how can you ridicule yourselves so much! Lower down so much in front of THEM!"

Her voice increased to an impertinent level. This was a public place; she was disgracing herself, causing a commotion. But the day's frustration combined by her principled hatred towards men made her so. Men were not _worth_ wasting breath on, much less for acting like there maids! Responding to their every command! _Bowing_ in front of them! The men here were nothing but perverts! She could see it in their eyes! How could these women serve them with smiling faces? Money really cannot do that, can it? Even if that's the problem, they could easily prosper with a simple café. Then why? Why do they undermine themselves?

She shouted all of this at them, her eyes wide and face red, her expression wild. The passion came from all the hurt she had felt all those years, she let it all out, ignoring the flabbergasted people around.

When she finally came around, the sudden comprehension of her blunder made her tremble and fall on her knees on the cold, hard ground.

 _What had she done?_

Burying her face in her hands, she let the full impact of it hit her and make her cry.

…..

"Misa-chan…." A tranquil voice spoke, while its owner soothingly rubbed her back.

Misaki was seated in the staff chamber of Maid Latte, with her knees between her folded arms and her face hidden in them. She had stopped crying a while ago, but her face was still red and blotchy and Misaki was so horrified by her behavior that she couldn't imagine ever being able to face another human being again.

"Misa-chan, at least drink some water." The voice spoke again.

"No." was Misaki's muffled reply.

"It will make you feel better."

"No thank you."

There was silence again, in which Misaki thought that she was acting like a stubborn child. Moreover, she did not understand why these people had not kicked her out yet. The way she had acted, she might have destroyed their whole business. No, she most positively _has_ done that. This churned Misaki into deciding that she needed to take responsibility now, she was not a child anymore. She couldn't stay like this, forever either.

 _Hopefully it will be over quickly._

She slowly raised her head, inhaling through her nose and tucking her stray hair back. Wiping at her tear stains roughly, she turned to Satsuki, the kind manager. She smiled at Misaki, causing the latter to be immensely relieved and humiliated at the same time.

 _It would have been better if they had just thrown me out._

She did not really mean that.

"How are you feeling now, Misa-chan?" Satsuki asked; both hands comfortingly placed on Misaki's shoulders.

 _Misa-chan….._

She had spouted her name to the others during her wailing, and Satsuki had somehow concluded on calling her 'Misa-chan'. Satsuki reasoned that it was cute and fitting. Misaki silently agreed but grudgingly, she was not that much into 'cute' labels, which are most commonly overdone and become revolting. But only 'Misa-chan' was not that bad, if nobody else knew about it.

"Better, Miss Manager…..uh thank you very much and I am very very sorry…..I just-" she started, but was interrupted, which was just as well because she could not get anything coherent out of her anyway.

"-Oh! Call me Satsuki, dear," the manager said joyfully, "And it's very alright. You seem like you are very stressed, my dear." She finished softly, gazing at Misaki thoughtfully.

"Um…it's nothing Miss Satsuki." She replied, "I am just extremely sorry. And-" she now had a significant touch to her voice, "I would like to pay you back or make it up to you, in any way you please."

Satsuki looked taken aback at the girls' resilience, added with her dignified and independent manner. Well she did have something the girl could do, but Satsuki would not force her into it. No.

"You can leave without doing that. There is no retribution." She sweetly answered a surprised Misaki.

"No! I have to pay you back or I won't be able to be at peace!" her voice was raised again as she too stood up and gave the other a pleading look.

"Oh, Misa-chan!" Satsuki protested.

"No, please Miss Satsuki! I do not want to be indebted!"

Satsuki could not overlook the desperation of the child and she was warmed and heartily impressed by the immense passion the girl had. She would do everything, committing her whole self. She was pretty too, but her inner fire enhanced that beauty.

But

She will find the way by herself.

"Are you sure, Misa-chan?" the manager's tone turned serious, "there will be no compensations or returns." She waved her finger warningly at her.

"Yes. Yes" Misaki solemnly nodded.

Whatever might come, she must embrace the future no matter how sour.

"Very well. What is your age?"

"Sixteen, ma'am"

"Oh! _Ma'am_ " Satsuki seemed surprised by being addressed like that. But she cleared her throat and became critical again. "Class?"

"First year of High school, ma'am"

Satsuki was on the verge of telling her not to call her like that, but decided that she could say no only so many times.

"Very well. Go around this room and you will find job requests, we have two vacancies. I will let you choose….alone." Giving her these brisk instructions, Satsuki exited the room.

…..

 ** _Heyyy do you think I should end it like this? Will decide on your opinion._**

 ** _RxR!_**


	2. Fate has its own design

Misaki could not believe herself.

The door of Maid Latte closed behind her with another ' _chinnng'_ as Misaki walked out into the dreary December air. Breathing out white puffs of air, she fixed the lose gloves on her hands and tucked them away in her pockets, desperate to conserve her warmth till she reached home. It was nearing midnight and the streets were completely deserted, unnerving Misaki. As she considered that, a man slugging disgustingly from a bottle, rounded the alley corner and after staggering for a little while vomited on the nearby wall. Misaki cringed at this, and then gasped as the drunkard passed out over his barf.

"Oh, dear…" Satsuki tutted from behind her, "the owner of this compound makes sure of the security, but one or two like this still manage to find the way, even when the nearest pub is miles apart…..We should leave Misa-chan, I will notify the guard-yes _he_ will take care of it…."

Looking harried she trotted of inside the shop again, opening a door Misaki had not noticed before and went up the stairs. The President understood the manager's apprehension; it would not do to have to have rowdy, drunk men quaffing near a cosplay café of maids. It was so dangerous, that Misaki felt her previous reservations against the shop's theme resurface, now with a greater force. It was personal now, after all.

Misaki grimaced and then after checking that Satsuki was not coming back, smashed her head against the wall.

 _Ugh….how could have this happened?_

She repeated her masochistic action a few more times, until she was sure she had punished herself enough, topping it off by powerfully punching the same wall as the final, most tremendous act. All the while cursing herself, her life, her father, every man and then again herself, stopping when she felt her knuckles bleed.

Studying them she sighed disdainfully and put her head in her hands again, painfully gripping her hair. She was stupid to get this violent, as if breaking a brick could solve all her problems. But it helped clear Misaki's jumbled mind.

 _Mah…..at least I have a well-paying job now._

She would have to dress as a maid.

 _I need to think about the greater good._

She has to call useless, perverted men 'Master'

Misaki closed her eyes and looked as if she was gulping cement.

 _Greater good!_

She opened her eyes again, feeling more contented and determined than ever. She needed the money, her family needed it, and Misaki would not stand for them being reduced to beg.

 _That will never happen!_

As the eldest, she had a duty to support them, to make them keep going in a dignified manner, plus she wanted to show _him_ , if he ever came back, that they could do well without him. He was not needed, like he did not think he needed them, back then. She might find this job the most despicable thing to do in life, dressing like a pliant maid, but…there were things worse than that….it's not the end of the world…..

 _It is my choice!_

 _I will definitely stand by it._

"Misa-chan! Why do you have such a scary look on your face?"

"Chief!" Misaki jumped, "No, it's nothing, I was waiting for you." she hastily replied after rearranging her features. Misaki did not know how to find her way around here and probably if she did find the subway station; it was most probable that the last train already left.

It was frustrating; she always seemed to owe people. _Ugh_ ….

"Well, well." Satsuki chirped happily, "let's get going then, your mother would be worried by now Misa-chan, even when we called her….let's go!"

She started walking down the path to the main road where they were going to go forward to her house and try to negotiate a taxi there. But…..

"Um…Chief?"

"Misa-chan?" the thoughtful Chief replied, curiously.

"All due respect, but who…who is that?"

"Who…? Oh Him!" Satsuki said, "He is a chauffeur, Misa-chan! You see, I can't drive very well myself."

The said driver faced Misaki and tipped his hat in a regal manner, murmuring a courteous 'Hello', but his face and hair were expertly hidden so she really couldn't make out any of his features.

"But, you said you didn't have a car." Misaki, feeling confused, countered.

Satsuki looked troubled for a moment _, my, my….what a sharp girl….._

"No! Misa-chan, the car is not, b-but the landlord is an old friend of mine! When I told him about the drunkard, he told me it wasn't safe-and he offered us a ride! Yes, _he_ offered us this." Satsuki frantically answered, which gave a highly suspicious feeling to Misaki.

But then the chauffer gently stepped in and tipping his hat to Misaki again; provided explanation,

"Sir wishes for me to escort you ladies, for it is not safe for women to be walking alone at night-"

"-That is not a problem. I can protect Miss Satsuki and myself pretty well. The landlord need not worry." Misaki interrupted him, giving a bold retort.

 _I don't want to owe more people…._

The chauffer seemed to have been dumbstruck by the daring reply while the manager conveyed her astonishment by gesticulating feverishly along with trying to reason with her,

"No, Misa-chan! Things are dangerous- you mustn't-"

"-That's quite alright, Mistress." Misaki was surprised he actually cut through Miss Satsuki's words, "But you must consider that at this time of the night, with no bus or train left, in a deserted area like this, only a miracle will be able to transport you back home."

He had a certain touch in his voice which implied that he was smirking underneath that cap.

It somehow annoyed Misaki.

But, he had a point.

….

" _Aw…..man! I lost again."_

" _Don't worry, old chap. It's hard to beat a player like me. All in good time….All in good time…."_

 _Both men were seated on the chess table, opposite to each other, having just finished a match. The younger of the men or_ _boy_ _, enthusiastically nodded at his partner, telling him that he had quite understood what he meant and was working hard towards it._

 _The partner's age wrinkled eyes, already cheerful now twinkled with exuberance as the boy nodded at him._

" _Don't fall back if it takes more time that you think though, old chap." The aged person spoke words which he thought were supportive, "A person who gives up never wins!"_

 _The young boy nodded at him more, conveying his full understanding. This pumped the old man up more and he leaned up and patted the boy's head._

" _Good lad….you're a very good lad."_

 _The old man now settled himself back into a cozy armchair while the boy removed the chess table to its proper place and sat by the aged, beside a merrily burning fireplace._

" _-remind of my own, you do, son Thomas…he was a handsome 'un too and very caring…always played with me…" the aged trailed off, muttering incoherently before becoming silent, lost in sad memories._

 _His young companion gazed at him thoughtfully but said nothing; until the old man spoke once again._

 _The old man once was a prosperous British tradesman, but one small mistake made him lose enormous profits and his business crashed, but he was sure he could have worked hard, built it up again if his downfall had not caused another back-breaking tragedy; his wife leaving him for another wealthy merchant and then his sixteen year old son dying of a rare illness. The old man, unable to bear such depression, left London and came to Japan and with the small amount of money he had had left, bought a building and started a rental service._

 _How he and the boy met was a mystery, but they both liked each other instantly and since then, he visited regularly, they always had the same game of chess, he always lost, and then they would always sit beside the fire, basking in each other's company while the old man recounted his life story._

" _-but a great good the building gives to me, and I live happily, son. Better than the old times…So you know, 'm a living example, even If you've been hurt and beaten like I have, don't give up!" he announced, "A person who gives up never wins!" he repeated with a noteworthy manner._

 _The youngster nodded ardently again, and the old man grinned._

 _There was an agitated knock on the door._

" _Mr. Riddle? It's me Satsuki. Sorry for the disturbance but I really need your help sir," a voice called from outside._

 _She was called in and as she and Mr. Riddle conversed, the youngster got up and moved towards the window and looked down towards the alley._

 _Well,_ this _was certainly new._

" _-I have a companion a-and, she is from another town-it's late I thought you could help us-"_

 _She made a friend that's a maniac?_

 _For certainly the person banging her head against the wall in an alley looked like a maniac to the boy, but he_ could _be wrong._

 _From another town..._

" _Ah, but_ he _lives there!" the old man exclaimed pointing at the boy, "Don't you?"_

 _The latter nodded, feeling wary._

" _And he has a car. He comes here in it. He'll take you while returning. Won't you, lad?"_

 _He nodded again. He had to go back too, anyway. But he might need to do something to hide his identity; the maniac girl was about his age, lived in his town, if circumstances went extremely averse, she could be a student at his school too. And there…..yes, he needed a disguise._

" _B-but he is so young! He doesn't even have a permit Mr. Riddle!" Satsuki protested, feeling utterly shocked and the old man's boldness._

 _Mr. Riddle just grinned at her, happy to have come to a solution so fast._

" _He won't hear you." the boy explained in a droning voice, "it's a bit hard for him."_

 _Satsuki turned to him, then. "But it's illegal!"_

" _Bummer." The boy said before exiting._

 _Satsuki looked at Mr. Riddle helplessly for a few moments, expecting him to say something, but when he did not, she could nothing but meekly follow._

…

"See you tomorrow Misa-chan!"

"Yes, see you tomorrow, Chief." Misaki replied.

Satsuki hugged her farewell as if she was her best friend and they had not just met tonight, in the most disastrous of ways; which left Misaki shaken but really pleased.

"Thank you for the ride too." She said turning to the front window.

The chauffer had already firmly refused any compensation, but Misaki feeling overly-gratified and bit pathetic at being able to do nothing else, found it highly necessary to remember her manners and thank him.

He only tipped the front of his black chauffer hat at her as an act of acknowledgment, and Misaki caught a fleeting glimpse of an emerald eye.

Walking towards her porch and taking out the keys she stopped in front of the door for a moment. Balling her hands into fists she determined it one final time.

Being a maid is her own choice.

She will definitely stand by it.

…..

' ** _See, Prez? One good thing leads to another…and it becomes a chain."_**

 ** _XD_**

 ** _RxR!_**

 ** _Oh and I had at first decided to end it here…..but you know if you want me to write Misaki's first ventures as a maid….tell me!_**

 ** _I'll do it if I get at least five reviews._**

 ** _:D_**


	3. Companions or Blessings? Friends

**_A/N: The italic part is a flashback. A long one._**

…

"EH? A _first_ - _year_ broke all the records of the school?

"Yeah, and by a milestone! The teachers themselves didn't believe it and checked his papers _at_ _least_ five times."

"You've _got_ to be kidding me….."

There was much discontent among the students at Seika High, mostly among the seniors, who were annoyed that an underclass-man had surpassed them. All of them were busy grabbing their friends and whispering in their ears, some sturdy ones getting ready to teach the boy a lesson for hurting their pride, others expressing utter disbelief and insinuating that money and cheating was involved in the result, cursing the exam staff, until not a single soul was left without knowing of the miraculously talented newbie.

"Look, there he is!"

The said boy; strolled past them with an air of extreme indifference, sipping casually from a strawberry juice-box, while the others stood against their lockers staring shamelessly at him, girls (and some boys) in pure awe. The senior males cracked their knuckles threateningly at him; but the boy took only as much notice of them as he would have of a fly on the wall.

" _He's_ a first-year! But he's so tall…." A blushing girl, spoke dreamily as the boy turned the corner vanished from sight.

"And handsome." Another added.

"Quite intelligent too." A dark-haired girl whispered while significantly, while fixing her glasses.

"Oh..! What's his name?" a bubbly, pink-haired girl; asked.

"Usui Takumi."

The small crowd if girls looked around at the last voice, for the apparent reason that it had not been slender or adoring, but full of anger.

"Misaki..!"

"Misaki-san, you look unwell. Is something the matter?"

Misaki Ayuzawa's mouth twitched, she would have liked to have said a lot of things, but Sakura and Shizuko were not the ones at fault to be listening to it. Actually, nobody was. She gripped the papers in her hand, almost shaking with resentment.

 _I worked so hard…_

"Misaki..! What happened? Tell us!"

"Please come and sit with us."

Her two best friends led Misaki outside, finding a private, shady corner, where they sat on the fresh grass, Sakura and Shizuko faced her and anxiously waited for Misaki to speak. Leaning against the wall covered with creepers, her face hidden in partial shadow, Misaki balled her fists again, but remained silent. This was such a meaningless feeling, yet she could not block it out. Her friends were going to think she was stupid but, they did not know what she had gone through.

Nonetheless, she had worried them, so owed them an explanation.

"Uh…" Misaki finally said, turning her face away, "….it was nothing much."

And she handed them her result papers.

Sakura took them and exchanged apprehensive glances with Shizuko, fearing the worst, but still thinking it impossible. For they knew better than anyone, how Misaki had worked day and night for the mocks and the dark shadows under her eyes testified it.

Sakura took one last look at Misaki's moping face, before unfolding the papers.

"Second position…!"

Misaki glumly nodded.

Her friends stared at her incredulously; half ready to hear Misaki laugh and say it was a joke, only it had never happened before, and half contemplating whether or not to voice their thoughts. They were sure their friend was sane; they must certainly be missing something important. Seeing their conflicted expressions, Misaki felt herself lighten up a little.

"I-Is this not according to your expectations, Misaki-san?" Shizuko was the first to speak, but guardedly.

"I think it's amazing, Misaki!" Sakura exclaimed after, "I only got the twenty-fifth position, three down from Shizuko." finishing with a pout.

"That's not the problem."

They both stopped in their remonstrance to look at Misaki, who had spoken.

 _The_ _problem_ _was, the man who came first, Usui Takumi._

"…I mean; he doesn't even pay full attention in class! I have caught him yawning during lectures a _dozen_ times! He always has this totally bored look on his face like he would fall asleep on his desk any second!"

Misaki ranted on, her two bewildered friends listening and watching silently, until she put her head in her hands and ended in a defeated tone.

"He doesn't even look like he tried hard….not as much as me."

 _It was so unfair…._

She felt her eyes moisten. She really _had_ worked hard, started pulling all-nighters two weeks before until the last exam, coupled with her excursions to find a part-time job which she had only found last night, having to go to a whole new town in her hunt.

 _Ugh_ …..

"Misaki." A soft voice spoke in her ear.

Misaki's eyes widened; she hadn't sensed when both of them had moved closer to her. Sakura's arms lightly wrapped around her neck; while Shizuko gripped Misaki's hand in both of hers. Both of them smiled softly at her, comforting her with these mute gestures, telling her that they sympathized if not completely understood. This overwhelmed Misaki enough to release the tears she had been holding back since the morning.

 _At least somebody knows…._

But, why was this happening? She was crying a lot this year, a small mistake or a thing out of order made her lose control. Even though Misaki knew perfectly well that normal, practical life had numerous ups and downs….but perhaps even knowing that and living such a life, Misaki was never made to realize it, because there was another person that handled everything, and always told them not to worry…that everything will be alright….

 _That foul, liar….!_

Misaki choked on a sob. So that was it then, it is always hard to adjust in a new environment, especially when she had to change from the first-born, clever and cute daughter, to the strong, hard-working, back-bone of the family, in one night, for the absence of _one_ person. Misaki felt ashamed she had not realized the full pressure of responsibilities on a parent. But that did not mean she would ever forgive him. No, never. For now, she will not even remember him, and move forward; everything depended on _her_ now, after all.

Yes, that was it.

She will get used to it.

She _was_ a strong girl.

She smiled and wiped her tears, as Sakura and Shizuko mirrored her and the three of them laughed.

 _They are such precious friends._

Shizuko offered to go and buy something from the canteen, for soothing their nerves. Sakura exuberantly agreed to accompany her, as it would serve like a toast for their good results and as Misaki saw them hurrying away, she felt a new determination grow inside her.

These were just the mocks; she will just have to work harder.

And soon, she _will_ be the best.

High above her, seated on the newly-discovered rooftop, Usui Takumi couldn't get rid of his annoying hiccups.

…..

 _Misaki stood on her tiptoes and peeked through the glass of the Student Council's door. Her eyes instantly narrowed. Albeit she had expected what she was seeing, she had hoped for something better. Inside the Student Council Room was in destruction, as if a windstorm of rubbish had just passed through it, the so-called President and his sweaty subordinates were cheerfully crowded around a laptop, misusing their free internet privileges, watching something with open excitement._

Probably some lewd pictures, the perverted assholes!

 _The room furthermore, was in complete shambles, chairs were standing far away from their desks, puddles of juice and bits of leftover bento were scattered all over the place. Misaki could only imagine the smell of the room, and nearly vomited when she did._

 _She had heard, through her research (done out of plain curiosity), that the whole council was part of the football team, since one of them had managed to become President and using his and the school's support,( for they had won the inter-school championship despite all the odds and lessened Seika's bad reputation) the rest of the team came in. The members of the football club were the rowdiest, buffest males around and in a school already dominated by boys they scared off any other candidate that could have run for the President post, thus securing the position._

 _They definitely just wanted to come on the Council to stay out of home late. So that they could use Council work as a false excuse and instead go out for a drink or mooch on the streets. And of course; they could enjoy complete control and domination over the school, preferring their friends for everything, misusing their authority for personal gains, and worst, most of this brought injustice over the minority of girls._

 _With a council like this, no wonder why the school was in destruction._

 _A council member suddenly looked up and caught Misaki's glaring profile through the glass. She bolted from there at once. It would not do to get into trouble. No matter how much she hated the boys, she was just supposed to keep her head down and work hard towards keeping a good reputation and hundred percent grades. She needed to do something worthwhile in the future to save her family from going bankrupt and saving expenditures by getting a scholarship in a good college was one of those things._

 _She turned her head back for a moment to look for any follower….and crashed head-first into something...or someone._

 _Misaki's reflexes from the recently started aikido classes helped her regain her balance. She then found herself looking down on a scattered collection of books and the person she had just bumped into, on the floor._

" _Oh! I am so sorry! Let me help you." Misaki exclaimed; feeling mortified._

" _No, no…It's okay. I was carrying too many books anyway…didn't see where I was going." The girl replied._

 _Both girls hastily started picking up the books. Misaki then offered to carry half of the girl's load. As they walked to return them to the library, Misaki studied her; she had long pink hair tied into curly twin tails and walked as if she was skipping. She smiled at everyone who passed by as she had for Misaki, and the latter decided that it was a really beautiful smile._

Girls are such humble creatures….

" _I am Hanazono Sakura, by the way." She said, conversely, looking at her._

 _Misaki was surprised by her easy-going and friendly manner but answered her with a composed smile._

" _Ayuzawa Misaki."_

" _Hmmm….Misaki. What a nice name!"_

 _Misaki involuntarily blushed. This person, Hanazono Sakura, was so open and threw away praises naturally. She was even speaking her first name with such interest and tenderness. It was as if she cared for every person in the room, even the disgusting boys._

Wow _…_

 _There are people like that too._

 _They reached the library and Misaki pushed against it; then went in with Hanazono to place the books on a brown table, the pink-head skipped off to a place behind some shelves to find a friend and Misaki used the time to study her surroundings._

 _The small Seika Library was a musty and dirt-covered place, because the students, in other words the boys, rarely came,_ or _did their duty of cleaning it. As for that, it also became a haven for the oppressed girls and Misaki noticed a lot of them sitting on the tables, reading silently. Misaki herself would have loved to come here for reading, but her tight schedule never allowed that. Nevertheless, it was peaceful; and she felt a smile form on her face._

" _Excuse me."_

 _Misaki froze at the voice, because it was a male's and turned to look. She recognized the person immediately; same blonde hair, deep voice, and bored yet sparkling green eyes. But he was not familiar to Misaki by her own choice; the guy had a bad habit of standing out even in the most crowded of places. She did not know his name though, neither was she bothered about it, but there was one aggravating point in him that made Misaki take notice; he rarely paid any attention in class, did not even take notes, and yet always gave the right answer to the surprise of the whole class, even the teacher._

 _It was the first time seeing him from up close, however._

 _He had the same indifferent expression as he always had, though he suddenly seemed taller to Misaki than before. She could see too, why every girl in the school was after him._

Except for me, of course

" _Could you move?" he said again and Misaki snapped back to her senses._

 _He was surprisingly cold, Misaki thought as she moved to give him way._

 _All the more reason to hate him,_ _she decided_ _, he might be intelligent and a high-achiever, but he was as arrogant as the rest._

He won't be…..when _I_ surpass him.

"… _.Sakura-san! You are late again! How many times do I have to tell you that we have a tight schedule! I will have to do both of our assignments again."_

 _Misaki jumped at the furious voice and moved towards it, behind the row of shelves to find Hanazono Sakura and….the source of the shouting._

"…. _B-But Shizuko! You're being mean!" Sakura protested._

 _So Shizuko was her name, then?_

 _She was a tall well-groomed girl, wearing clean, framed glasses, her dark hair cut short in a boy cut. But it suited her, Misaki determined, given that her face was not red with fury._

" _If you need help with homework, I can help you."_

 _Misaki had blurted that out without thinking and had as much as a surprised expression as the other two. After regaining her sense she felt her words were thoroughly regrettable. She could not comprehend why she would so blandly offer her time, when she knew she had none, but blamed it on the aura Hanazono and 'Shizuko' had. Their predicament had made Misaki want to protect them. Perhaps because of, either her recent family matters or her over-bearing, shielding nature._

 _Shizuko studied her inquiringly at first; having just now noticed Misaki standing near her, and then her face formed an expression of complete mortification. She started to mutter something about getting too loud in a public place._

" _Um…you see Shizuko I bumped into her in the hallway and she helped me bring the books here." Hanazono Sakura explained after her friend had calmed down._

"… _you're so clumsy Sakura-san….." Shizuko said while wearily rubbing her forehead._

" _No!" Misaki said. "I was running without looking and made Hanazono-san fall….she was late because of me. I sincerely apologize." She finished, bowing her head as an act of showing her shame._

" _No need to be so formal!" Sakura burst out, "See Shizuko, you scared her…"_

 _That sentence made Shizuko come out of her befuddled state._

" _Oh! Where are my manners…" she said, almost as flustered as Misaki was, she bowed down respectfully too, "Kaga Shizuko. A pleasure to meet you."_

" _Ayuzawa Misaki, and the pleasure Is mine." The black-haired girl answered._

" _This decorum is making me breathless." Sakura joked while fanning herself with her hand and the three girls laughed._

 _Misaki took leave of them then, she had given them a few pointers of the day's homework, enough that they could do their own easily. She still had to complete her own and go hiking for a job, again. It was frustrating why nobody was ready to keep her, she could learn even if she did not have any talents. Being a mechanic was a full day's job and extremely hectic, she would not have any energy left for studying, same with babysitting or pet-caring, they were not well-paying enough and_ _cooking_ _was out of question._

 _Misaki stopped and took support against the wall, groaning of exhaustion. How was she supposed to do all of this?_

" _NO! Leave Sakura-san alone!"_

 _Misaki came out of her reverie and sprinted towards the voice, it had come from outside. She stopped at the building entrance to find Hanazono and Kaga crowded over by at least six boys._

" _Now, Now…Kaga. We have no business with you. Move aside, we just want to talk to Hanazono-san."_

" _She doesn't_ want _to talk to you."_

 _Misaki stomped on the ground and marched towards the group, her newborn fury fueling her confidence and muddling her mind. She should not be getting into trouble, but such acts were simply unforgivable. She stepped between the boys and her friends, glaring at the leader. He and his thugs did not seem to think it was enough, though._

" _And what do you think you're going to do?" the leader challenged, leering at her and showing an array of revolting yellow teeth. He moved forward._

" _Don't come close, you'll regret it." Misaki warned him; all the while warming up, getting poised for attack._

 _He chuckled and kept coming._

 _His companions followed._

Well, I warned you.

" _Wow, Misaki! That was so cool! I didn't think you could do that!" Sakura exclaimed, as they walked away from the scene, where six boys were laying on the ground, apparently knocked out._

" _That was indeed amazing Misaki-san. You saved us. I am still getting jitters from what could have happened." Shizuko added in a breathy voice._

 _Misaki modestly nodded, feeling happy with herself. She had at last, done something._

 _She had made such good friends._

 _Maybe…just maybe…_

 _..If she could protect them…she could protect the others too._

 _…_

Misaki rushed out of the subway train onto the platform, she was going to be late, and on her first day! She ran at full speed despite it already having been a chaotic and hectic day for her, and reached the desired place after asking for directions once or twice.

She paused in front of the door of Maid Latte, already bustling with customers, as she waited, trying to catch her breath; a black car went past. Misaki did not know why she had singled it out for her notice, but gave it up with the excuse that her mind was not working because of exhaustion. Thankfully, Satsuki-san saw her and motioned for her to come through the back door they had used the previous night. She hurried towards it and the manager opened it for her.

She entered again in the same eerie, magical atmosphere, only now all the women were in maid costumes (it irked Misaki more) and another set of words chimed in her ears.

"Welcome aboard, Misa-chan!"

…..

 ** _Well, what do you think?_**

 ** _I know, the promised Maid Latte experience didn't come. Sorry…_**

 ** _If you like the continuation, you can thank Snivy8276, for the idea._**

 ** _I redid it because it didn't feel right, and after the advice of a friend, hope this is better._**

 ** _Will welcome any ideas with wide arms_**

 ** _Thanks for reviewing and following, everyone!_**


	4. Arbitrary

Usui Takumi sighed dolefully as he rested on the bare roof of Seika High. The floor was cold and grimy, but it was a place he could be alone, and that was the thing that put him at ease most. Since topping the Mock exams, he had had even more attention than usual; before it had only been his middle-school companions, who followed him into the same college, but now the seniors got involved too. He could not decide who was more annoying, the curvy girls in their ridiculously short skirts, batting their eyelashes at him, or the trio of rowdy boys that had been following him since the start of the week.

 _And he had told me not to stand out….._

 _Should've mauled my face first…_

 _No doubt you wanted to,_ Gramps _….._

He smirked bad humoredly at the last thought, reminiscing back to his last encounter with his Duke Grandfather before he came to Japan to live with his new 'family' and became an Usui, forced to stay with parents who had been paid to keep him. The threat was repeated, (it was done so many times he was sure inside his Grandfather was extremely afraid of him) in a letter Takumi got on the day before he went to the city, in search for a school; that any of _his_ actions, or rather his existence, were never to be traced back to the Duke's family.

Takumi was sure he had accomplished that, staying away from his foster home _would_ arouse lesser suspicions, if there actually _was_ anybody to be suspicious.

The decision not to make any friends had not been done to hide his identity though; the outstanding blonde simply was a loner. Friends did not interest him, getting close to more humans, trying to understand them, making them understand _him_ , was a tiresome business indeed, especially when his childhood experience suggested strongly against trusting people. Moreover he was among teenagers whose only hardship was next day's homework, surprise tests or why _he_ had rejected them so coldly.

They still did not know the _true_ coldness of the world.

Suddenly the silent air split with the sound of a metal door being kicked open.

"Found him!"

 _Not again….._

Takumi straightened himself into a sitting position, casually resting his arm on one knee and stared at the three men entering the rooftop, a slight crease on his forehead. This was a total nuisance; he did not know what he had done to get _this_ kind of attention, but as always the blonde was being tortured for a sin he did not commit. He studied the three thuggish boys, the lead one cracking his knuckles menacingly at him, with a mildly curious expression. It would be a second's work to finish them, Takumi was really compelled to do so too, right there and then.

 _Like I need more bullies…_

The three slowly entered the windy rooftop, the strong breeze blowing at their hair, giving the situation a momentous aura. They glared at Takumi, as if he had done them a great personal wrong, while he matched their furious gaze with indifferent eyes; all the while contemplating their foolishness. They were all dressed like typical delinquents; hair spiked and messy, leather jackets torn and dirty, sporting tiny, silver piercings situated on at least one part of their skin. One of them, the principal bleach blonde, had an added bandage on his left hand, which he had probably broken in a fight. His two subordinates gazed at Takumi too, but neither had the intensity of their leader, the one with greased dark hair looked rather disinterested, lazily twisting a half-finished cigarette stick in his mouth, while the third looked increasingly wrong-footed and scared; although he desperately tried to hide it.

Usui fixated his eyes on the last one, staring with a calm but unwavering intensity; intent on exploiting the boy's natural tension and unhinging him completely. The idea worked, disconcerting the azure-haired boy, who at first was shocked, then nervous, sweating slightly when he realized he had to stare back at Takumi to avoid losing face. He did so unsuccessfully, finally breaking under Usui's cold and relentless watch. He obviously did not belong with the other two. His apprehensive stature said it all, and because Usui had already seen him somewhere else, quietly reading a shojo-manga book on the first day of school.

"St-Stop it!" he finally cried.

"What are you doing Ikkun!?" the bleach blonde shouted, whipping around to his friend, clearly stung.

"But he keeps staring at me!"

"You're supposed to stare back, idiot…." The one with greased black hair remonstrated with a disappointed sigh.

"I was trying to! Shiroyan is the idiot, suggesting a hunch like this…. I didn't even want to come."

"You lack passion Ikkun! The glare is the most important part! You need to be intimidating." The leader, Shiroyan pressed on, tightly holding 'Ikkun' by the arms, conveniently ignoring the fact that he had been called an idiot.

"Or you won't be able to join our gang….idiot."

"Stop calling me idiot! I don't even want to join you stupid gang-"

"Hey, don't you dare call the gang stupid! I-"

"Kurotatsu, Don't hit him! We'll show him how cool the gang really is…."

Usui had turned to read his book during the whole commotion, in a satisfied and unconcerned manner, much to the mortification of 'Kurotatsu' and 'Shiroyan', who in his blatant rage came and snatched the book from the blonde's hands.

 _That_ annoyed Usui.

"Listen to us when we're talking to you, worm!" the leader commanded, reverting back to his raspy, roguish manner.

"You weren't even talking to me…" Usui muttered, his golden bangs partially covering his face.

"What was that….?" Kurotatsu mocked, adopting a small, squeaky voice and then laughing.

"You weren't-" Usui abruptly stood up to his full height, towering over the three, his face dangerously somber, "-even talking to me."

He had been trying to avoid a confrontation like this, since the start of the week, always disappearing when sighting the trio before they could approach him. But he was getting gradually irritated by their wayward behavior. Usui may have more patience than normal humans do, but even that wore out after a while. Especially since; he really did not have a valid reason to hold back and no chance of him getting rid of them otherwise. Plus his pride interfered too much, he had been pushed around so much at _home,_ bearing it outside was more than he could do, surprising yes, but true.

Usui moved his hand to grab his book back, the simple act bringing back the trio to its senses, for they had been gawking up at him awe till then. Shirokawa pulled the book out of Usui's reach just in time, foolishly smirking, not realizing the delicacy of the situation or the fleetingness of his well-being.

The blonde clenched his fist tightly, soundless fury overwhelming him-

"Shirokawa, Sarashina, Kurosaki! What am I hearing?"

The four tense males jumped. Usui slowly turned his shocked gaze to the door, one fist still poised to strike. Standing in the door of the rooftop, the Headmaster of Seika High glowered at them, adjacent to a raven-haired girl, who had both hands on her hips, and was wearing an ominous expression. Takumi just blinked and tried to clear his head before straightening up and moving aside. He was sure, that whatever had happened, it did not involve him.

…..

"….Listen to what Miss Ayuzawa tells me, you three. You have been skipping your cleaning duties constantly for three whole weeks, forcing the girls to do them for you! This is most despicable, _when_ are you going to be responsible..."

The Headmaster lectured on in one corner with the delinquent trio bowing down in front of him in positions of shame. Periodically they squeaked an apology or two to the rebuking man who still did not stop talking.

But Usui had lost interest in them the moment he had retrieved his book from the place 'Shirokawa' had dropped it. Before exiting the rooftop though, he cast a momentary glance at the raven-haired girl who was watching the commotion with a smug expression, arms folded across her chest. He had gained that this was 'Miss Ayuzawa', the girl who had complained about the delinquents and probably saved him from getting into trouble. It must have took a lot of nerve, he decided, feeling slightly impressed. And it did not seem as if the girl, Ayuzawa, had made this decision hastily, or regretted it in any way. Her sure stature affirmed to it.

He thought he had seen such confidence before…

 _It's weird, because this is the first time I am seeing her…._

Feeling slightly confused but otherwise calm, he slid out of the roof top, more worried about the fact that his secret hideout had been discovered or whether or not tomorrow more interfering people will greet him there.

….

"You look perfect in this, Misa-Chan!"

Misaki tried to smile back at the squealing person, who was her new boss, desperate to hide her otherwise obvious discomfort and embarrassment. Albeit she was sure, the smile came out more like an ugly grimace. She was standing in front of a vertical mirror, scanning herself in the custom-made cosplay dress. The raven-haired girl did not know why, but it was even more mortifying than the official maid costume she had to wear.

Misaki gulped; never did she want to remember the first time she had to wear it.

It had been as tiring a day as ever, even though Misaki was a hard-worker, the sudden increase in work-load in High School was keeping her on her toes. She still needed some time to adjust. Yet, before Misaki could do that properly, she needed to handle a job in another town; needing qualifications in which she had to wrench her heart out and destroy her ego, to satisfy.

An example looked back at her from the body-length mirror, wearing a long one-strapped maroon dress, which sprouted out at the bottom, like the red petals of a flower. She wore gloves that extended till her upper arms; the color a light shade of lilac. Misaki's hair was done in beautiful braid twisted into a bun, with a black flick left loose. It was a breathtaking dress indeed, and Misaki herself felt overwhelmed to be wearing it, but Satsuki had specially chosen it for her to commemorate her first cosplay day in Maid Latte.

Misaki remembered analogous feelings when she had had to wear that revolting Maid costume. She had not shown her disgust to the others; of course, who had commented and praised her after Satsuki had deemed it ' _perfect!_ ' The café staff had been exceptionally sweet to her, even after her disastrous arrival, it surprised Misaki more than the manager's forbearance, because _they_ were not as airheaded as Satsuki, but seemed to have absorbed her open-mindedness. Although the raven-head had to endure some side snarky remarks from a blonde colleague named Honoka (Misaki had forced her brain to learn each and every members' name from the first day), the others assured her to not take such things seriously. And she did not, Misaki was not so naïve to think that she would be welcomed be open arms, but actually was relieved that this was the only amount of rebuke she was getting.

Excepting the constant anomaly of dressing like a maid

…..and serving perverted men…

Calling them 'Masters'….. _bleh_!

 _Stop it!_ Misaki chided herself.

Thinking about it only made her feel worse and she could not let such emotions hinder her work. She was doing this for her family, making an honest living out of her sweat and blood and because her dignity told her so. This was the best way.

Smiling at her resolve, Misaki turned away from the mirror and studied the other people in the room. The café was due to open in another fifteen minutes, while everyone got ready. The scheduling was special only on cosplay days and this time Maid Latte was taking a medieval route. Being girls, they all posed as Princesses or Duchesses, serving other people. Satsuki had reasoned she liked it because of the irony.

Nobody believed that of course.

Later it was revealed that the manager had forgotten 'Honoka-Chan's' birthday, and thus to make it up to her, Maid Latte was featuring a day where they wore dresses exclusively of her choice. Seeing them, Misaki agreed that Honoka's taste was good, though the raven-head herself did not know much about fashion.

'Oh I am sure our Masters won't mind…" Satsuki had said lightly, waving the others' protests away, yet looking quite uneasy herself.

"Of course they won't! _Who_ would complain about having pretty girls in his midst?" Honoka had added, determined to get her way.

Her colleagues had sighed and agreed, while Misaki had just stood a little apart, not saying anything but listening intently, ready to learn from her seniors and pick up tips. She had not found many, because all she could comprehend from their behavior was complete easiness; they said as they pleased, as if friends, not professional colleagues. It was true, even apart from the manager, nothing much was _professional_ at Maid Latte but it still functioned flawlessly.

 _The manager is much more amazing than I thought…._

"Misa-Chan, let's go, customers are starting to come in!" dressed in blue velvet, Erika, the red-head who had once served her, called out to Misaki.

"And remember the key, if anything goes wrong….breathe deeply." Subaru added in an anxious tone.

Misaki nodded in response, her face set in determination the likes of which a soldier has before walking into the battlefield. She took a deep breath right there to assure the others, and moved out. This was the same drill she had gotten on the first day here, taking deep breathes to calm her anger down, because it was typical of Misaki to boil red in indignation whenever she went out of the curtain that separated the customers and the staff. The dreamy, sick faces outside piqued Misaki more than anything. She had only barely controlled herself so many times from dumping a fresh plate of hot omelet rice on a middle-aged man for shamelessly checking her out.

It would happen even now, she thought. Misaki moved out of the curtain to the main entrance hall of the café and felt her uneasiness grow; outside there were a lot of hungry eyes that would be staring at her from now till the end of the day.

She tried not to crush the glass vase in her hand.

More disturbingly, Misaki was getting aware of a sudden itch in her legs, her dress was grand but the small café's expenditures did not allow that the cloth would be comfortable too. The gown was sticking to her and hindering her way, making it difficult to walk straight. Or maybe it was because she never had any experience in wearing a dress. As Mrs. Ayuzawa had not exactly raised her to be a wealthy lady; she had spent her life mostly marching around in a pair of jeans.

 _I'll have to adjust!_

Trying to maintain her balance, yet stumbling every now and then, Misaki managed to reach the door. She could already see the silhouettes of the early trickle of customers.

The door knob turned.

Misaki took a deep breath and straightened her back.

 _You've done this before._ She told herself.

Thinking about her family, laughing and content, as Satsuki had told her too, Misaki felt her mouth transform into a dazzling smile.

 _You can do it again._

' _Chinnng'_

"Welcome Home, Master!"

…

 ** _Hi Guys! I know it's been long. But unfortunately it will be like this because my school has started. And I don't think I need to explain how hectic it is._**

 ** _But I promise I won't abandon the story._**

 ** _RxR_**


	5. New Discoveries

**_Sorry for the long wait, Masters…_**

….

Misaki bit the inside of her cheek. This was not going well.

The material of her grand dress chafed her thighs with every movement and it did not help when she had to run around to and fro in the restaurant, holding half a dozen plates at one time, all the while keeping a smile stretched on her face, as if serving the revolting, dreamy-eyed customers actually made her happy.

 _There even more of them than normal…..!_

Honoka's idea had been surprisingly successful, seeing that it had attracted dozens of customers; more than perhaps ever had come to Maid Latte. As Misaki suspected by the way Satsuki was staring at the crowd; her mouth open in glee, eyes shining and a look of absolute wonder on her face. The others were excited as well; Misaki had not thought the Subaru could laugh that loud, or that Honoka could have a genuine smile on her face, which she had now as she weaved between the hordes of customers, motioning the excess to the floor upstairs, where a similar café awaited them. Misaki also caught Erika curtsying dramatically in front of a giggling six-year old girl as she placed Erika's tiara on her red hair.

The raven-haired girl felt her strained face soften a little. It was perhaps, the presence of these two things that prevented her from ripping off her dress and bolting out of the front door; the comparatively meager but substantial amount of women in the male-dominated café and the happiness of her colleagues; which Misaki thought, was infecting.

 _But still,_ she thought _, I've never been so uncomfortable._

She grimaced at the thought and hurried towards a customer, who had called her at least ten times before to his table to refill his drink.

 _CLIP. CLOP._

Misaki pursed her lips in annoyance, yet kept moving.

CLIP. CLOP.

 _These menacing heels!_

She had been clicking around in the shoes for a whole day, more than ever in life. Although the heel was not very thin or long, Misaki still felt close to stumbling after every third step. More infuriatingly, however, they made the most obnoxious sounds. The ominous click that resonated inside the café every time she walked on the marble floor, made her feel overly-conspicuous, like the noise made every one turn their attention to her. She honestly preferred her subtle, rubber soled sneakers.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, she ground the heels in the floor and took small, slow steps, just to ensure that no irritating noises were produced. That made her too slow.

The beckoning customer frowned at her pace, which sent a spark through Misaki. She would just have to deal with it now, under no circumstances was she going to fail the Manger. Abandoning all pretenses she almost ran towards the table.

The resulting sounds were more than conspicuous.

But Misaki ignored them.

"How may I serve you, Master?" she asked with a charming smile, trying to hide her breathlessness; the result of the sudden adrenaline rushing through her veins.

The man stared at her with wide-eyes and an open-mouth at first before clearing his throat.

"A refill of the ice cream sundae, please" the man stuttered, then turned his head away; blushing, "M-Misa Chan!"

Misaki tried not to cringe away from him.

"Right away, Master."

She ' _clip_ - _clopped'_ her way to the kitchen, the dress hindering her walk; the noise making her flinch. It was only unyielding determination to do her work that prevented Misaki from slouching and glaring at every soul which dared looking at her.

She swept the curtain away and announced to the two busy chefs,

"An order of chocolate ice cream sundae, please!"

"Oh…Misa-Chan," came Satsuki's voice from the other side of the room, "you should say 'The master wishes for a delicious chocolate sundae!' You must be in character, always…!" she lightly scolded.

Misaki's mouth twisted, as if she had just tasted an awful medicine. And she had thought this job could not get any worse….

"Um…" she mumbled, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear as Satsuki looked at her expectantly, "The M-master wishes for a delicious chocolate sundae." She finished.

The Manager nodded.

"Good Misa-chan! But be livelier when you say that next time."

Misaki gave her a reassuring smile, though thinking that it would be easier to scale a mountain.

 _The Manger is scary when she's serious…._

"Here's your order, Misa-chan!"

Misaki, who had been standing at the entrance all this time, took a deep breath and moved forward to take the silver platter of the counter, thinking that she too, was in need of some ice cream.

She felt her dress snag on something, pulling her back. Misaki frowned in irritation and tried to pull herself free. Her voluminous dress had held against everything in the café as she weaved around the tables, barely avoiding knocking them down.

 _Why does this have to be so big? Stupid dress….._

"Ah, Misa-chan! I wanted to warn you of something too-" Satsuki called.

… _.Pull….OFF!_

 _RIIIIP_!

"-that there is a stray nail coming out of the wall there…" Satsuki finished; her tone empty.

Misaki stood frozen on the spot, as cold air hit regions previously covered by cloth. She heard a gasp from behind and Misaki thought the worst.

She whipped around, bringing both of her hands to hide herself, a completely horrified expression on her face.

The relief to see Erika shielding the door brought tears to Misaki's eyes.

"Don't worry, Misa-chan" Satsuki soothed her as she hurried towards the raven-haired girl's, stricken figure.

"…I even told Honoka that the material was no good…" Erika muttered as she fixed the curtain more securely around the kitchen entrance.

With Satsuki's help, Misaki managed to wrap a long white cloth around her waist which acted like a temporary skirt. Though her hands were shaking so much, Satsuki did most of the work. She was too embarrassed to even cry then. She had ruined such a beautiful dress, which though was of poor quality, priced more than Misaki could pay. The Manager was certainly going to kick her out this time. Misaki bit her lip; she would lose her very first job after just one week.

…..

"This…..is rather…unfortunate." Subaru contemplated as she held the ruined dress in front of her.

The rip in the fabric was almost elegantly diagonal, starting from the top of one of the lilac petals to the opposite end. Satsuki had commented that had it been a little lower, they could have still used it; but Misaki decided she would not have been the one wearing it.

Currently, she was sitting with her head in her hands on a sealed cardboard box, one of many in the Maid Latte store room. The cramped, musty space was littered with pieces of fabric, shoes, hats, belts etc.

"Mm-hmm…" Satsuki agreed with Subaru in a muffled voice.

She was currently digging through their costume store, searching for a replacement for Misaki which would blend in with the day's theme and not rouse too much suspicion. But, as unfortunate as circumstances were, they could not find a convincing enough dress while time ran out and Misaki was needed in the café to serve people.

 _Just throw me out already…._

Misaki looked up when she heard a sigh from her blue-haired manager. Satsuki was leaning on her heels, frowning and shaking her head in surrender.

"I really can't find anything as pretty as that…" she told them.

Feeling guilt and shame overwhelm her Misaki got to her feet and tried to think of ways to help. She was desperate right now, why did she always have to disappoint everyone? There has to be something she could do, if she had even a shred of dignity in her.

Everything is not lost.

 _I may have never thought of this but…._

… _I have to leave the past behind me._

She was not the same hesitant girl anymore.

 _I can't afford giving up._

"How about this?" Subaru's voice brought Misaki back to the present.

Misaki stared at the attire in front of her for a full moment. Then she gulped and nodded; a confident and determined smile on her face.

"I will work hard."

…..

Takumi gazed at the bustling street below nonchalantly, the numerous shining lights of the town reflecting in the glass window and giving his emerald eyes an eerie, detached blaze. The room behind him was dark and you could hear soft snores coming from the couch behind him. His companion, the old man had spent the day dealing with a new customer, who surprisingly was from England. The ensuing excitement on Mr. Riddle's part had tired him enough that he had dozed off after eating Takumi's hand-made broth.

Bored with no intention of driving back home so early, Takumi decided to watch the bustling café right below them, which had even more customers than usual. He had seen a lot of maids at his foster parents' house and before then. He remembered hazy images of tall, prim ladies dressed in black and white roaming around his room and silently tidying things up. They took good care of him, but only because the Duke did not want to show outsiders how poorly he treated his grandson.

So naturally, he was not interested in maids.

A disturbance in the back alley caught his eye. He moved closer to the edge of the large window to get a better view.

He seemed to catch unusual things at this place every time he looked.

 _I thought this was a_ maid _café…_

The person shuffling around the dustbins in the back alley was obviously a girl, though a girl dressed as a Duke of medieval times. Her raven-hair had been cut short (or was that a wig?) to suit a man while a single stone ring glittered on the fore-finger of her left hand. She herself was dressed in a black tail coat, with a dressy white undershirt, black pants and large boots. The fancy, silver staff she had been carrying was put aside as she deposited the garbage bags.

For someone viewing from afar, the props looked impressive, but Takumi could tell the presence of low-priced, substandard cloth.

 _I wonder why she dressed as a guy…_

Curiosity took control of the blonde as he crept out of the room and went downstairs, still with surprising speed. He had to pass the front of the shop in order to reach the back alley, his destination. During his run, Takumi heard snatches of conversation from the crowd of departing customers.

"…This was the best Cosplay Day ever..." a woman's voice cut through the babble.

"I used to think they performed only for the men….but _today_!" another woman exclaimed, "I have never had a better dance."

"Hey, did you ask her name? She was really into her role."

"The Duke…? I didn't even realize she was a girl at first…her name was Mi-Misa chan, I think. "the first woman said.

"It was Misaki, you know." Her friend corrected.

"I am going to come here again, just to meet Misaki-kun." Another announced with a dramatic sigh and her companions laughed.

Takumi stopped in his tracks.

 _Mi…saki?_

…


	6. From 'Three Delinquents'-

"Don't freaking _fuck_ with me!" a harsh voice cut through the eerie silence of the back alley.

It was followed by a painful groan and a heavy thud.

"I told you to get me the goods three weeks ago. _Three_ damn weeks! When you had promised to bring them in two days…..Tch! I should have known you were a waste of my time…..after all that high talk, you show such pathetic results- _makes me want to_.." again, a gasp of pain and violent coughing resounded through the alleyway.

"P-Please…." the victim wheezed; his tone pitifully weak against the loudness of his torturer, "…just a little-"

"-SHUT UP!"

The torturer, in his fury, once again moved to attack, while the victim; fear imminent in his eyes, tried to frantically scuttle away to escape the blow. He would have failed though, had not his torturer been caught from behind and stopped.

"Calm down, Shiroyan! Do you want to kill someone?" the savior shouted, wrestling with his friend until he turned to face him and grabbed him by the collars. The savior, with his slick black hair ruffled, watched the little victim scramble up the alley wall and disappear. He then gave his red-eyed companion a weary look.

"I don't think killing is such a big price….I would do anything for it." Shirokawa answered; his expression wild.

"You don't mean that." was his friend's calm reply.

"What do YOU KNOW?" Shirokawa roared, his shaking hands tightening their grip. "Stop underestimating me!"

"Nobody is underestimating you, idiot!" his companion yelled, abandoning his calm and wrenching Shirokawa's hands from his neck. "You're the leader of the gang. The others look up to you. They can't follow a hare-brained, out-of-control, fool!"

Shirokawa clenched his fists. "I don't care anymore. I just want _that_. Kick me out if you want to."

"Tch….Would you listen to yourself? I told you not to get involved with the bigger gangs….look what they have done to you!" his friend shook his head, his voice resentful.

"They haven't done anything to me! I am the one doing business with them. The other guys approve of it! You're the one trying to kill the fun, Kurotatsu!"

"You're wrong! Stop being an idiot and open your eyes! The others are as blind as you are! Can't you see that they have been nothing but living zombies for the past months! We didn't make the gang for _this_!"

"We made it to have _fun_. And everybody _is_ having fun, Kurotatsu. And as leader, I won't have anyone messing it up…" Shirokawa retorted, his tone low and threatening.

Kurosaki smacked his forehead, "You are out of control. Being the best fighter doesn't mean you can punch anyone and get what you want. Think about it, Shiroyan…..it's dangerous to butt your head everywhere. Get a grip!"

His companion let out a snort, "ooh…it's _dangerous_ to butt my head everywhere, huh? Never thought I would hear something like that from you, Kurotatsu. You know what I think? I think you're chickening out just as things started to be fun. It's okay…..I won't stop you from running to your mommy so she can cuddle you to sleep."

Kurosaki bared his teeth.

"Don't cross the line, Shirokawa…." He whispered, clenching his fists.

"..Even if I do, what can _you_ do about it?" the former replied, his knees bending in a fighting stance.

They stood motionless for a full minute, exchanging unwavering glares; bodies stiffened in anticipation, no sound but of their heavy breathing to be heard.

Then Kurosaki sighed and straightened up, seemingly deciding that he would not be able to win this brawl. He looked square at Shirokawa's smirking face and with an air of finality, spoke.

"I can't believe we're fighting on something as pathetic as a drug. It's pitiful. But I am going to tell you this again, the guy you just roughened up; was a member of _that_ gang. And they have got a lot more people who are way bigger than us. I suggest you come back to your senses, before somebody knocks them into you, White Beast."

With that, he turned and stalked away out of the dark alley, leaving a scowling Shirokawa behind; who still had to understand the magnitude of what he had lost.

…..

Yukimura Shouichiro was not the kind of person to curse his fate; but at times like these he was really compelled to do so. It was too bad his vocabulary was not that extensive, or he might have let loose a few words which might have omitted the ill-fated illusion people had of him being a girl. Maybe it was only that such polite boys were hard to find; that was why nobody believed him when he told them he was a boy. But was that _his_ fault? Even if people did believe him, they still thought it better to impose their delusions onto reality and weak-willed as he was, Yukimura really could not stop them.

Thus, situations like the current one were not rare for him.

"Heyy…come on, just come with me for a little while, little girly. I just want to talk…"

"I am sorry-and I told you I am not a girl! There is-someplace I have to be. Please let me go!"

"Eh? There is no need to hide from me; you're still pretty cute for a rebel…."

"As I told you- I am not a rebel! I'm a boy!" Yukimura shouted, feeling tears well up in his eyes.

The tall boy harassing him clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Enough talk! Come here-"

He roughly pulled Yukimura towards him, causing him to trip on the fold of his Kimono, and fall to the ground; thereby displacing the voluminous wig on his head. He fell on his knees and heard a rough gasp from above him, followed by a surprised voice.

"Wah….! Seriously?! I thought you were some kind of tomboy girl! You really are a guy! Or do you just have a boy-cut…."

"…I am _really_ a BOY!" Yukimura wailed.

"Okay. Okay….sheesh...What a waste of time. You should have told me that sooner."

"I _was_ telling you!"

"Yeah...yeah…" the older boy trailed off, looking around for any witnesses of this embarrassing scene, and then slowly strutting away from Yukimura's dirt-stained and tearful figure.

….

 **2\. Misaki Ayuzawa.**

 _No wonder it sounded familiar….._

Usui stood in-front the result board, unmoving for the past half-hour. He could whispers from the crowd around him. Some were annoyed, some confused; (because he never came to the board to even check his own result) and some scheming and hopeful; telling Usui that he had to escape before another horde of girls assaulted him. Feeling slightly irate, he finally took his eyes off the aforementioned name and stalked away; his mind whirring.

 _It isn't possible….but I am sure that they are the same person._

 _The same stature of confidence…._

 _..But why would such a strong, intimidating girl work as a maid?_

 _And I think she hates men too, she always glares at me before I doze off in class…_

A slight smile tugged on the corners of Usui's lips.

 _Interesting_ …. _I wonder why, though?_

 _Did I reject her confession somewhere in the past? Or was it a confession from her dear friend?_

Usui believed it must be the latter, because even though he did not ever remember the girls that confessed to him; his reason told him that Ayuzawa confessing to him was unimaginable. Even more so was the fact she would be serving perverted men cosplaying as a maid.

 _No. Not someone like her._

 _I wonder if it would be interesting to make her fall for me….a challenge is always interesting-_

Usui's train of thought stopped right there and his eyes widened. When had he been involved in wooing girls? Never. He despised people and their fickle, selfish personalities. This one was no different. And he would not open himself up for anyone to play with. He wiped his fore-head and tried to clear his mind; vanquishing all thoughts of the maid girl and Misaki Ayuzawa. Because they were all the same to him, just people who could use and then throw him away, as an inadequate being.

"Please someone help me!" a squeaky voice brought him back to reality and he looked up to its direction.

What he comprehended at first was a very petite girl in a muddy kimono, broken sandals and tearful eyes; before registering who this actually was. He contemplated whether or not to help and emotionlessly stared at the sniveling peculiarity in front of him, acutely wondering why a boy was dressed like this. Thinking that a distraction from his previous thoughts had presented itself, Usui moved to pull the boy to his feet. He was not _that_ heartless….mostly.

"Thankyou…." The green-haired boy mewled as Usui took his hand, "B-But where are we going-?" he asked, alarmed at being led outside again.

"To the hosepipe." Usui said simply.

He let out a terrified gasp, "B-but the showers would be a better choice! This way it would be in front of everyone-"

"You dress and talk like a maiden, though I was under the impression you weren't one."

"I am not! I was forced into this! But y-your idea is still embarrassing…"

Usui smirked, feeling a sudden joy in teasing the other boy. It was apparent why somebody would put a girl's dress on this person; because even in Usui's opinion, it suited better. Feeling crafty; he looked sideways to the shorter boy's blushing face, his own expressionless.

"Then you want me to carry you like a bride to the showers and get my shirt all dirty and wet and then both of us to strip and shower together, yes?"

For some reason, the latter's face turned blood red. Even weirder was that Usui found it extremely amusing. Although he did what he intended to; the green-haired boy did not complain anymore until they reached the gravel clearing in the school garden, with a long hosepipe attached to the wall with a circular drain at the bottom. Usui bounced the end of the pipe in one hand and fingered the metal tap with the other.

"So then," he whispered; a manic glint in his eye, "Stay still, now."

….

"Tch….I stole the props from the Drama Club to dress up Yukimura and then he ran away. If Kurotatsu had been there…." Shirokawa's voice trailed off and he paused, staring at the orange horizon; deep in thought.

 _I wonder what he and Ikkun would be doing right now…._

Both of them had not come to the hideout since the other night and whether he admitted it or not; feelings of deep remorse were creeping inside Shirokawa. The other members were still the same, but he found himself sullen and bored without Kurosaki around. Sarashina i.e. Ikkun, had already bailed after his first visit to the hideout. But that was understandable, he was a quiet bookworm, who would not have done much anyway. Nor did he have the wits to stand his ground in a fight.

The blonde sighed and walked on. The brawls he had these days were not as fun either without Kurosaki to cheer him from behind. Half of him longed to go to his house and apologize and maybe get his best friend back; but his pride prevented that. He calmed himself by turning his route to the hideout rather than his home. There he would find something that would relax him. Perhaps the beating he gave the child finally made him work faster and the goods would be here, at last. That was what Shirokawa told himself every day, to no avail.

 _When I see that brat again I'll-_

 _SMACK!_

His scathing thought was interrupted by a sudden, powerful blow to the back of his head. Grunting in pain and covering the pulsing area, he blindly moved away from his attacker; one fist already poising for retaliation. He turned, bringing it forward at full force-

"Oh? Going to hit your mother now? What a shameless brat."

Shirokawa froze and looked up to his heavy-set mother, her arms folded; a dark expression on her face, a traditional plastic fan in her hand.

"Didn't I tell you to not wander off after school? Your Grandmother is visiting today and she wants to meet you."

"Mom, Grandmother doesn't ever even remember my name. Plus I've got stuff to do."

"What kind of stuff? Are you still playing in that abandoned playground with middle-schoolers?"

Shirokawa blushed.

"Aren't you a little old for toys? Plus I don't think that's all you do there. You've been spending too much time outside. We barely see you the whole week! Your face also looks pale, have you been staying up too late? And what's with all these bandages? Why do you keep picking fights?"

A tick set on the blonde's forehead.

"…Anyway, hurry up and come home Shiroyan…I have to cook dinner too." His mother continued, ushering with her hand for him to come with her.

"I won't" he muttered.

His mother's eyes narrowed dangerously, "What?"

"I won't come home, woman! Who cares if Grandma is visiting?! Leave me alone!" he spat, fueled by the deprivation of the drug and his current loneliness. With that he stormed away towards the darkening orange sky; as his mother watched his back; utterly stricken.

…..

 ** _Aah! Accursed exams are here!_**

 ** _But I still wrote this….so I know pretty soon my laxness will be the death of me. And that is not funny._**

 ** _Well, anyway. Enjoy!_**

 ** _Don't forget to review if you do…or you don't._**


	7. -to 'Three Idiots'

_**DISCLAIMER : Mild swearing and violence ahead.**_

...

His breathing was hard and harried, heart thrumming furiously in his chest. His temple ached and his eyes were constantly narrowed into a glare, trying to see beyond the whitening edges. Shirokawa marched down the road with incorrigible fury and desperation. His throat felt sore. He could only thing of the boy he had beaten last night and the promise of the delivery that was to happen today.

"It's still not here, _dammit_!" he growled through clenched teeth.

A rickety looking pub came into sight at the corner of the street. Its grey door was hanging off its hinges, providing a partial view inside. Shirokawa could hear howls of raucous laughter, music and thumping of beer mugs coming from its interior. He steered his foot-steps to it; slamming it open with a force caused it to bang against the pub wall and crash to the floor. The noise made the whole pub pause and turn to look at him; fists clenched, breathing heavily with his teeth bared.

"Yo."

His eyes darted to a large man sitting at the nearest table. Thin, blond hair barely covered his large head. His arms were muscular and tanned, with numerous scars and bandages covering them at intervals. Even in his feral state; Shirokawa felt a tingle of apprehension at the sight of him, but ignored it. The blond thug tilted his head and leered at him.

"You gonna keep gawkin' from over there, lad?" he spoke in a deep, throaty voice. Shirokawa would have normally flinched at the sight of his yellow, crooked teeth.

"No." he murmured, moving inside and taking a seat on a wooden chair in the far corner of the room, eyes searching his filthy surroundings for the boy. The thug chuckled.

"Now the lad's lookin' a damn right sight to me. Get 'im a shot of yer strongest, Bennie!" he yelled at the bartender; who immediately put the mug he was cleaning (with a rag so filthy that it was almost black) down and ducked under the counter. Clinks of glass followed, as the thug's eyes turned back to Shirokawa. "The first one's on me."

Shirokawa momentarily looked back between the bartender and the thug, thinking whether to refuse or not. The blond, however, was not waiting for his permission and was already motioning to another person beside the bar, who picked up and started playing an instrument. Cheers followed and the wild festivity continued. People: barmaids, work-lads, customers, all came and went but there was no sign of the dratted boy.

Impatience boiled in his chest. When a scantily dressed barmaid brought him his mug, he barely looked at it or her. It was then when the boy appeared from behind a curtain beside the bar, struggling under plates and mugs in his small, scrawny hands. Shirokawa immediately jumped from his seat. The boy, unaware, made his way around the tables and served them.

Shirokawa's hand went to his pocket and he automatically flipped his cell-phone open to dial Kurosaki's number, before he realized what he was doing. His thumb paused on the screen and hovered there as the dial-tone continued. Cursing under his breath he cut the call and switched it off, stuffing the device back in his pocket.

 _I'll deal with this alone…_

Seconds later, he was following the boy through the curtain; into a tightly closed ''kitchen'' space that was smaller than Seika's broom cupboard. White steam hit his face the moment he pulled the curtain away, along with a myriad of smells. Shielding his face against the onslaught, he squinted in the crowd of teeming workers to find the boy. He saw him pushing out a back door, handling some over-filled black bags.

Heart thundering in his chest, Shirokawa followed. Nobody noticed him leave. He pushed out the scraped metal door to the mild dusk air. The door closed quietly behind him, cutting off all noise from the pub. Shirokawa's temple pulsed with pain, but triumph was blooming in his heart. The midget struggled with the bags before dumping them inside the rotten and broken trash bin.

The boy turned around and sucked in a harsh breathe.

Shirokawa felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

"Well…well…well," he breathed, spreading his arms in a reckless gesture, "Didn't think I'd come all the way here, did ya?"

The boy did not move. He was wide-eyed, stricken with fear.

"Now," he placed a hand on his temple; it was throbbing furiously. He slowly stepped towards the boy, teetering dangerously on his heels. "I am a pretty kind guy….a really big heart in me, you know?" he pointed to his chest, leering maniacally "So I'll give you a last chance okay?"

About a meter apart from him, Shirokawa stopped. Then he bent to the boy's face and glared at him.

"Get me some. _Now_!"

Shirokawa spat.

That seemed to jolt the scrawny midget into action. He backed away from Shirokawa, putting his palms in-front of him as a motion for peace. With a shaking hand, he pointed back to the steel door.

"Yeah..Yeah I got you. Don't worry at all...It's just hidden in one of the cupboards. I'll be right back with it." He said in a tremulous voice and began to run past Shirokawa. He did not make it.

The delinquent gripped his arm and the boy gasped; unable to move, his face scrunched in terror.

"Actually…..Scratch that last part," he whispered in his ear, "You told me you had truck-loads hidden in some warehouse. And it's actually a cupboard in that puny space?"

His grip tightened. "You know what? I think you're lying….Even more, you were planning to get back in there and run away, weren't you?" he scoffed, but it came out as a painful groan, "There's a limit to how many times I'm going to let you get away."

The boy whimpered.

"Tell me where it is. I need it" he growled in his ear.

The smaller boy gave a fearful gasp and pushed against his arm, writhing himself out of his grip. Surprised at the sudden action, Shirokawa released him until he tumbled painfully on the ground. Shouting a curse, he pounced back after the lad, grabbing his throat and pushing him against the brick wall. In this delirious state, he missed the sound of a door creaking open.

Large hands seized his shoulder and he was pulled away.

He landed on the ground on his back, his vision blurring until finally focusing on a hard and familiar face.

The blond thug was leaning over him with a characteristic leer on his face. A team of comrades surrounded him, all sharing brooding looks and holding machetes. Shirokawa's mind reeled at the image.

"Well…Well…Well…." The leader thug cooed, "I had a slight feeling you were goin' to be trouble, lad." He chuckled, furrowing his eyebrows in a mocking gesture, "But of _all_ people, you were gonna suck it with our little Tammy here?"

His smile disappeared.

"I don't appreciate scum who only pick on the weak 'uns. No dignity at all. And what I _really_ don't appreciate," a large, gnarled hand shot forward, grabbing Shirokawa's throat, "Is some undignified scum pickin' on one of my own."

The following events were an unclear memory. He could just remember pain; lots of it, blinding, writhing pain which seemed to prolong forever before stopping abruptly.

There were shouts and some part of his hazy brain believed that they were familiar. Then there were shouts; groans, the thumps of dozens of footsteps coming and retreating. Someone was cursing and gasping above him, saying his name. That someone had slicked black hair and was wearing a very familiar white and mustard colored uniform…..

Everything was swallowed by darkness after that.

The next time he regained consciousness was also a hazy event. Starched white walls and lots of undefined faces rushed past him. The smell of antiseptic was in the air. The same dark-haired person was looming over him, desperately saying something.

"Shiroyan….! You hang in there! You're going to be alright….can you hear me!?"

Darkness came before he could form a reply.

…

"….Yo Ikkun! If you're done with your rubbish club activities, come over and we can hang out! Let's go to that shop you were talking about…..I forgot its name, what was it again? Something Otaku...?...Anyway, don't you ignore me Ikkun! I'm waiting here!"

Kurosaki sighed as his phone beeped, affirming that his fifth voice message had been recorded and sent. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. People milled about on the street, most of them High School students just spending time with friends after school. A stab of guilt and loneliness struck at his heart and the image of a familiar white-blond appeared in his mind.

 _I wonder that idiot is up to right now…_

He had avoided Shirokawa the whole day, which was not really that hard since he knew all of their usual hang-out spots. From what he had seen of him in class, however; put Kurosaki on edge. Shirokawa's gaze had been redder than usual; he had hardly argued with the teacher today and most importantly, he had not taken any lunch during break (when he usually gobbled up both of their food and those of any other unfortunate students in the vicinity).

He was tempted to call him.

To take some food to the hideout and passively ask him to eat.

His gaze strayed to the cell-phone in his hand and he gripped it tightly, but did not type in anything. Their conversation of last night and the wild, deranged look on his best friend's face flashed in Kurosaki's mind. His jaw tightened. The air was cold as dusk slowly arrived. He rubbed his arms to warm himself.

The phone buzzed in his fist.

Startled, he juggled it in his hands for a while before managing to hold it. His heart thrummed in anticipation. Was Sarashina finally free? Or maybe Shirokawa was calling to apologize? Hope bloomed in his chest at the latter thought.

He looked at the screen.

 **Miss Noaya**

He blinked. Then logic clicked in his brain and he engaged the call, apprehensively thinking Shirokawa's mother was calling to berate him and tell him that he cannot be friends with him anymore.

"H-Hello? Miss Noaya?" he greeted in a tremulous voice.

He had suspected the replying voice to be loud and harsh. Instead it was soft and shaky. Worry gripped at Kurosaki's heart.

"Hello? Kurosaki….? Is Shiroyan there? Tell him to come home, please….tell him his mother's sorry…I'll make him his favorite ramen. Please just tell him to come home...I am very worried!"

Kurosaki gulped. She sounded close to tears.

"Um….No Miss Noaya…he's not with me. But-But" he continued, cutting off additional gasps of worry, "I'll go search for him. He's probably somewhere around here," he added a chuckle for good measure, although it sounded like a sigh, "he's just got a bit of habit of wandering without telling. I assure you, he's fine. I'll tell him to go back home. He'll be there very soon. Please don't worry."

His lies were hardly believable; and the loud sobs of Shirokawa's mother emanating through the speaker as he ended the call was more than enough evidence. In a second, he was jogging through the crowds of people, until the familiar playground with an abandoned warehouse came into sight.

He burst in through the door to typical shouts, grunts and laughter of the gang. His gaze darted around, but Shirokawa was not in sight.

Nobody had seen him the whole day.

"Hey, Kurotatsu…..? You have any idea when the supply will be here?" a mate asked him, scratching his neck. Realization hit Kurosaki like a punch in the gut. His fists clenched.

 _That bloody idiot…_

At that moment, his phone buzzed again. His heart skipped a beat when Shirokawa's name appeared as the caller ID.

Just as he was bringing his thumb down to pick the call; it dropped.

Kurosaki stared at the blank screen. 

A short while later, he had gathered a few of the older gang members outside in the play ground. Running his hand through his hair, as had been the norm today, he dialed Sarashina's number again.

"Pick up…..Pick up, you fool…." He muttered.

The call connected.

"…I have said this many times and am going to say this again…just make up with Shiroyan and stop bothering me! I was in the middle of collecting _exclusive_ merch-"

"-Shiroyan's in danger! I think he's gone to pick a fight with one of the larger gangs…alone!"

"...Oh Gosh, he's going to get himself killed…!"

" _Exactly_ , so-"

"-Tell me where." Sarashina interrupted, his tone uncharacteristically serious, "I think I know where to get help."

Kurosaki did not answer for a second.

"….We can't get the police involved, Ikkun."

"It's alright. I know. Trust me."

So he trusted him.

Thus, they marched out, with only the burliest of their gang with him. Gouki cried and clung to him, begging to accompany them, but Kurosaki was firm. This was getting too dangerous for all of them, let alone for middle-school sophomores.

They sprinted off after their reckless leader, Kurosaki desperately hoping that they would make it in time and not be greeted by his best friend's corpse. He had tried calling the stubborn bastard back, but as expected; there had been no answer. Kurosaki cursed.

 _I worry way too much for you…you're not worth it…_

Yet, he ran.

He forced his legs to keep running, barely avoiding bumping into people, lamp-posts and sign-boards. He almost crashed into a coming bicycle, only to be saved at the last moment by his mates. He brushed it off and moved, heart thundering dangerously in his chest.

 _I told you they were a bad idea…._

 _Why won't you freaking listen for once….?_

 _Look what that poison has done to you._

 _Please be alive…_

It seemed like forever before they reached their destination. First, Kurosaki darted through the unusually door-less pub but found it strangely empty. The owner claimed to be suspiciously ignorant of any rabid blond delinquent having arrived at his bar and was vehement that they leave. It was then that they heard them.

They made it just in time.

The other gang was filled with large-bodied men with machetes and guns, just as he had known. At first, they were able to make them back off from Shirokawa by sheer surprise, but Kurosaki had only got a glimpse of his mangled and bloody body before they closed in again.

It was useless. They had weapons. Also, they had experience and a bloodlust greater than some stray High School kids. Kurosaki felt his heart sink as he tried to dodge a rash blond, surprisingly agile for his size. It occurred to him that Shirokawa would have been able to beat him, if it were not for present circumstances.

"Shit…" he muttered, as a machete came down on him.

"Kurotatsu, duck….!"

Suddenly, a large rock flew past him and struck straight into his attacker's face. Kurosaki turned around in bewilderment to see Sarashina; his face contorted in terror and worry and a tall, familiar blonde standing beside him, calmly bouncing another rock in his palm.

"U-Usui….?"

…..

What he witnessed next would be stamped in his memory for the rest of his life. Miraculously, after a flurried moment of numerous fists and blows, the blonde mostly alone against the crowd of criminals, their enemies were running back the way they had come, until there was no one but a tall blonde standing among the ruins.

He dropped down next to Shirokawa's limp body, trying to make him talk, grunt or anything that would tell him that he was alive. Sarashina stood right next to him, surprisingly calm and unfazed. It was he who pulled him back and called an ambulance.

It was only when, at the hospital, Shirokawa was admitted in a ward and a doctor had assured and reassured them of his stable state, did Kurosaki think of anything else. He sighed in relief and rubbed his forehead, while Sarashina patted him on the back. The other members left to go back to the hide-out and relay the news. Sarashina then led him to a bench and offered to get them both some coffee.

Kurosaki was alone.

 _Wait…alone?_

He looked around. He was indeed alone. When had that green-eyed blond disappeared?

Kurosaki gulped as images of about an hour ago flashed in his mind.

 _What a terrifying person….._

Kurosaki pondered on this until Sarashina returned with their coffee. They both drank in grateful silence when a familiar, rotund lady with white- blond, disheveled hair tumbled out of the elevator. They immediately rushed to her and tried to offer words of comfort and explanation, but before they could, found themselves engulfed in a bone-crushing hug. Startled, Kurosaki was at a loss for what to do as the woman sobbed into his shoulder.

"Thank you…." She murmured, "Thank you for taking care of my boy…..he has such good friends…."

Kurosaki's eyes widened.

 _I am not a good friend….._

 _I wasn't with him because I was angry….and this happened…._

"Are you here for Mister Noaya Shirokawa?" the doctor's voice interrupted them.

Kurosaki and Sarashina were released as the woman rushed to see her son. He tried to follow, but was held back by his smaller friend.

"I think we should let the mom and son have their alone time first…" he muttered, looking at him with a meaningful expression.

Kurosaki nodded. "Yeah…." And they returned to the bench.

"You know Ikkun..." he whispered after a while, rubbing his face, "You're actually really cool. I am sorry for all the times I've called you useless or a wimp. Shiroyan's gonna say the same when he hears all that's happened. You literally saved our asses today."

He heard Sarashina choke on his words. "W-Well It wasn't particularly me who did that."

"He wouldn't have been there if it weren't for your brilliant thinking...we were totally screwed otherwise."

"Y-you really think so?"

"Yeah" he gave him a smile.

The blue-head blushed and replied with a shy smile of his own. "It's nothing really. When you read enough manga as I do….you get used to traumatic events…I guess."

Kurosaki raised his eyebrows.

"Really? Things like these happen in those comics?"

"Oh…." He rolled his eyes, "This and much…much worse."

"That's scary man."

Sarashina chuckled. Then he animatedly told him about all the different type of comics, and Kurosaki found himself listening intently.

When Miss Noaya finally shuffled out of the room, not sobbing as much but still red in the face and sniffling, Kurosaki stood up. With Sarashina following, he entered the small white room and found his best friend, pale and covered in bandages, sitting up on his bed and beaming at them despite the exhaustion on his face.

"Yo" he called out in that strong voice of his, but his eyes were getting moist, "Bet you're still mad at me?"

Kurosaki blinked back his own tears.

"Damn right, I am."

…..

 **Obviously this idiotic trio has still much to learn about not-bullying and being good when they meet Misa-chan in second year, but this major character development, the series hinted at during the 'Gouki Arc' was still an important part of their past. I'm sorry if anything I wrote about the effects of drug addiction was inaccurate.**

 ** _"Don't worry, I am not that idiot that will make my mother cry anymore."_**

 _ **RxR!**_


End file.
